{"id":10236,"date":"2020-04-06T16:47:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T20:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/?p=10236"},"modified":"2020-04-06T16:47:29","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T20:47:29","slug":"further-dispatches-from-a-quarantine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/?p=10236","title":{"rendered":"FURTHER DISPATCHES FROM A QUARANTINE!"},"content":{"rendered":"
> The world surpassed a grim milestone last week, reporting a global total of over one million COVID-19 cases, with the U.S., Italy, and Spain, accounting for about half of them. That total continues to climb rapidly on a daily, and even hourly basis, today having topped 1,300,000. We are now closing in on 73,000 worldwide deaths from this disease.<\/h6>\n
More locally, Canada\u2019s number of confirmed cases is just shy of 16,000, Quebec alone accounting for a little more than half. Over 300 Canadians have succumbed to the disease, including some 120 Quebecers. Montreal and the Eastern Townships, meanwhile, are the virus hotspots in this province, with Montreal today reporting close to 4000 cases and more than 90 deaths.<\/h6>\n
This isn\u2019t science fiction, folks! We wish it were, but this is real!<\/h6>\n
> On the plus side of things, Nunavut is the only region in Canada reporting zero, zip, nada<\/em> cases of COVID-19! The coronavirus? The people up in that newest of Canada\u2019s territories are having Nunavut!<\/h6>\n
Internationally, over 275,000 COVID-19 patients have recovered<\/em> from the illness! Canada\u2019s number in that regard stands at some 3100. Coronavirus-besieged Italy and Spain are reporting a tentatively<\/em> promising slow-down in new cases. And, proper clinical trials of potential drug treatments like chloroquine (more specifically, hydroxychloroquine) are proceeding apace, as is the development of a vaccine, with initial testing on mice showing promise!<\/h6>\n
> There is a label that has been given to those people who, whether out of willful ignorance, stubbornness, selfishness, or all three<\/em>, continue to ignore the quarantine protocols and physical distancing guidelines that public health authorities have put in place for the good of us all\u2026<\/h6>\n
These are the young Spring-breakers who defied COVID-19 and refused to let the virus interfere with their \u201cright\u201d to party! We\u2019re young, they shouted, so we\u2019re not at risk! We don\u2019t have to worry about it!<\/h6>\n
These are the politicians and pundits who put the health of the economy ahead of the lives of their fellow citizens! Let the virus run its course, they bellow, and if a few more people die, then they die! We simply cannot, must not<\/em>, crater the economy and ruin the future for ourselves, or for the next generation!<\/h6>\n
These, too, are the absolutely wacky, bone-stupid ideologues who equate government virus-mitigation measures with life under Nazi rule!<\/h6>\n
They are also the pensioners who insist on getting together for their regular coffee-klatches, or the folk who themselves feel just fine, so figure it\u2019ll be alright if they<\/em> gather together in groups large or small.<\/h6>\n
All of these \u201cexemplary\u201d<\/em> citizens have been dubbed, deservingly, \u201cCOVIDiots!\u201d<\/h6>\n
And now, this (to borrow a phrase):<\/h6>\n